Everyone in Team 3 was stunned. Is this really the quality of the Kusagakure Anbu?
But what were these "human-shaped pills" they were talking about? The very thought sounded sickening.
Neji and Rock Lee exchanged glances, both recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
Tenten had heard Karin mention it before. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tagged Karin in the Heaven Live Broadcast Q&A Group.
[Tenten: @Uzumaki Karin, is that commotion over there related to you? Is Itsuki involved?]
[Yamanaka Ino: ??]
[Hinata Hyuga: Has Itsuki already taken action?]
[Uzumaki Karin: Did you find out?]
[Tenten: With such a big uproar, how could we not notice?! Didn't we agree you'd tell us if something happened?]
[Yamanaka Ino: Yeah! Why act so secretly? We weren't even mentally prepared!]
[Hinata Hyuga: Karin probably didn't want us to worry. Even if she told us, we couldn't help much.]
[Uzumaki Karin: Exactly. I don't want to implicate you. You're here on a mission, so please don't interfere in my matters. And if Itsuki is in danger, I'd rather die than drag him down.]
As she typed, Karin turned on the live feed and adjusted the angle.
On screen, Itsuki wore a Kusagakure Anbu mask. He carried Karin's mother on his back, held Karin by one hand, and wielded a short sword in the other.
Dozens of Kusagakure shinobi surrounded him, with more rushing over from afar.
The entire village was in chaos, and in Itsuki's current condition, breaking through the encirclement was no easy task.
Meanwhile, inside the Kusagakure leader's hall, the Anbu reported nervously. The leader scolded him, then forced a calm smile as he turned to Might Guy.
"I'm sorry. My subordinates were reckless and must have made you laugh."
He waved the Anbu away, then said, "The matter of the Chūnin Exams is settled. Kusagakure will definitely send participants to Konoha. As for details—since it's getting late, you can rest here tonight. We'll discuss tomorrow."
"It's rare for you to visit our village. Don't rush back. I'll have my people treat you well. But given the circumstances, it's best not to wander outside casually. If you need anything, tell my men."
The Kusagakure leader arranged for guides to escort Team Guy away.
Might Guy and the others were full of question marks.
It's not even eleven in the morning—how is it already "late"?
And treating us well means… locking us in a house?
Still, they knew something had happened within Kusagakure, likely tied to some village secret. They stayed quiet and accepted the arrangements.
The only way they could see what was happening was through Karin's live feed.
When Tenten saw Itsuki and the others surrounded, her anxiety spiked. But with her identity and limited strength, she couldn't intervene.
"If it were any other time, I could've at least tried to help…!" she thought helplessly.
For now, all she could do was pray silently for Itsuki's safety.
On the other side, Itsuki was finally cornered.
There were too many shinobi near Kusagakure Hospital. A few seconds of delay had sealed his escape.
"So it won't be solved that easily," Itsuki sighed inwardly.
In the fabricated future, he had saved someone and rushed outside without issue. But reality was harsher. Even a small village wouldn't allow someone to come and go freely.
"If it comes to it, give up on me!" Karin said. Her voice shook, but her eyes were firm.
She knew Itsuki had no obligation.
He came here for intelligence gathering, not her. Saving her was pure kindness. There was no need for him to risk his life.
"No? A man doesn't say no!" Itsuki sneered. He set Karin down and drew his blade. "I didn't want to make too much noise, but since it's unavoidable—let's fight!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a hand seal, more than a dozen shadow clones appeared.
One carried Karin's mother, another protected Karin. The rest paired off and immediately launched attacks.
Together, they unleashed compound Water and Earth Style techniques, overwhelming the Kusagakure shinobi.
With his vast chakra reserves, Itsuki could suppress an entire village singlehandedly. Against his combined ninjutsu, no one could even get close.
The clones carrying Karin and her mother slipped out through the chaos.
"Stop them!"
"Don't let the human-shaped pill escape, even if you have to kill her!"
Kusagakure's shinobi regrouped, using explosive tags to counterattack. But against Itsuki's overwhelming power, sheer numbers were useless.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"
"Earth Style: Dust Cloud!"
Fog and dust swallowed the battlefield. Kusagakure shinobi froze, their courage evaporating as their vision vanished.
Through the haze, Itsuki and his clones opened their Sharingan and cut them down mercilessly.
Itsuki wasn't bloodthirsty—normally, he avoided killing. But the Kusagakure shinobi's obsession with their twisted "human pill" technique made them irredeemable.
If left alive, they would never stop hunting Karin.
Better to end it here.
Itsuki's slaughter only grew faster, his Wood Release draining chakra and crushing bodies into nothing.
By the time the Kusagakure leader arrived and blew away the fog with Wind Style, the sight before him was hell itself.
A field of mangled corpses.
"Ugh—!"
The Kusagakure leader and his shinobi collapsed, vomiting at the purgatory Itsuki had created.